1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of presentation systems and more particularly relates to portable presentation systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presentation systems are utilized for the display of educational information, product information, advertising, and artwork at a variety of venues such as science fairs, conferences, tradeshows, seminars, and other events. Commonly, portable presentation systems allow a user to arrange their display material in advance on the display device and one portable presentation system can be utilized at several events. Presentation systems are traditionally designed as a tri-panel apparatus consisting of a main panel and two side panels that pivot with respect to the main panel and allow the apparatus to be free-standing.
During events where presentation systems are customarily used, such as tradeshows and educational fairs, there is a limited amount of space available either on tables, the floor, or walls for each participant. Portable presentation systems can be designed to fit in the assigned space allotted by the event; however, the conventional tri-panel presentation system restricts the amount of display area that can be used for presentation material to the front surfaces of the main panel and each of the two smaller side panels. Using the conventional tri-panel presentation system, users quickly run out of display area when presenting large or complex demonstrations.
In an effort to overcome this disadvantage, other solutions have been suggested. One approach is to use a flip-chart presentation system, varieties of which are known in the art. Flip charts allow a user to display greater amounts of material by attaching multiple pages of display material to a support board while allowing the pages to pivot over the top of the apparatus and rest unseen on the back side of the support board. A further modification has been suggested in a tri-panel approach in which the center panel a of tri-panel presentation system incorporates a flip-chart apparatus allowing a user to have multiple display pages that can be flipped sequentially over the back of the display device.
While these systems allow a user to present more information, there are several disadvantages. One disadvantage inherent to any flip-chart presentation system is that it is cumbersome to flip pages over the back of the display device while presenting. Furthermore, because a user must be able flip the chart over the top of the device, the device is limited in terms of its height as well as the type of location in which it can be displayed. For example, a flip-chart presentation can not stand against a wall or other vertical barrier. If set on a table, the table height affects a user's ability to flip the pages over the top. Furthermore, in order to review previously-presented material, flip-chart pages are flipped back over the display device until the desired page is found. Additionally, the presentation material on flipped pages must be presented on pliable material such as poster paper. Certain presentation material may not work well with a pliable presentation surface.
Another solution has been presented as a flip-chart that rests on its side so that the pages flip horizontally around a vertical spine. While this presentation system does allow more presentation material to be displayed in a limited amount of space, this system does not easily accommodate the conventional tri-panel system in which the main panel is greater in width then the side panels. In this horizontal flip-chart system, the interior leaves of the flip-chart would be prevented from overlaying the main panel completely, or would be greater in width than the side panel and would, therefore, increase the size of the display system once the interior leaf was flipped to the side.
Therefore, a need exists for a portable presentation system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus that allows a user to professionally and easily display a greater amount of presentation material without increasing the amount of spatial area required for the display system.